Rats

[ramonesfreak]

For the past 3 years I suspected rats were wintering over in my detached garage. No damage but obvious rat poo (big like size of a pistachio).

This week I finally saw one. In fact I can see one now out my office window just sitting there out of the rain (its holding a sign that says 'bring me some coffee'). I have seen several at once this week, just hanging out...so....where there is one, there is a hundred, at least

I wouldnt care about this except my 911 is in there.

So far they have stayed away from it...though i find the occasional nut in the frunk from I suspect chipmunks. I also see a hole dug under our attached porch....so they are very close to the house

I wont kill them and I thinking re-homing them with a have a heart trap is beyond my available free time

I am wondering if anyone has had luck using an ultrasonic repellant and if so, which brand

--FYI, I wont kill an animal unless I intend to eat it and im not interested in eating rats.

5 years ago today, I came home from work and found a 3 day old baby mouse in the basement. Eyes not even open. We had to feed it kitten formula with a paint brush around the clock.....even coming home from work to do this. As much as I hated doing this and risking the dangers of disease (deer mouse), I couldnt just throw it in the garbage or down the garbage disposal like my friends said to do. Anyway, today is Henry's 5th unofficial birthday and he is alive and well...something the internet said would be impossible to achieve

so, now you know where I am coming from and I think I know what you will say....and having lived in NYC, I see no real solution to this as I have zero food product in the garage

and no, im not getting a cat. i have 2 dogs, 8 fish tanks and a mouse and really dont want another pet, I dont believe in leaving cats outside to terrorize the wildlife and I would really hate to have a cat drag a half dead rat into the house

[Eric 951]

the ultrasonic devices are garbage and don't work. If you are against killing the rats, then prepare to live with an infestation--it is very difficult to eliminate them even when trying to trap or kill them out, and they multiple like crazy.

[KFC911]

Felix to the rescue! Though I too am an ol' softie when it comes to critters .... some don't get a "free pass" either. I've never even seen a big ol' rat in person either ... just small mice. Stay outside of my house and they get free passes .... but they are rare too. Mother nature's other critters keep them all in check around here fwiw.

Nature has a balance .... thanks Mom !

I've never had a cat .... "Moka" went off about an hour ago... I looked out and saw a cat at the front of my yard that went down into the street drain .... see them all the time going in & out...

Mom's cats

[gduke2010]

Get an Rat territory and let him do the dirty work.

[DWBOX2000]

Cat. Not sure it did worked but I took cat crap out of my kitty litter box and put in baggies around the car. No mice this year.
In the past I had two large rats. I caught both individually and released down at the train tracks. They are pretty amazing creatures. It’s a shame they be so destructive.

[GH85Carrera]

One of the DJs on the local morning radio show years back was a chick. She too did not want to kill them, just trap them and take them to a field 1/4 of a mile away. Her boyfriends told her they would just return. He started marking them with a short blast of spray paint on their tails and backsides.

Sure enough, she was catching the same rats over and over. She went medieval on them when she started to notice the real damage from them. They are only in your garage because they want shelter, and a source of food, learn to live with them and expect them to increase in number in exponential numbers. They will move int your house soon.

[ramonesfreak]

rats moving into the house is a real concern

a couple years ago i went down to the basement after work to feed the fish. I noticed certain things were moved or had fallen off the shelf. I thought my wife was playing some sort of ghost joke on me

a few days of this goes on and then I see a squirrel up in the corer of the room. It took a few days but I caught it in a have a heat trap.

My concern is, I still have not figured out how this squirrel got into my house....did it follow me inside and run down there past my 2 dogs? Or is there a hole somewhere and if there is, if its large enough for a squirrel then its large enough for a rat

[wilnj]

How about another predator that isn’t at pet? An owl maybe?

https://www.birdinformer.com/how-to-attract-owls/

I could see you giving a pass to 1 or 2 rats but if there aren’t predators, you could end up with them taking ownership of your garage. Then they’ll learn how to wrench and turn your 911 into this.



Then they’ll learn how to drive and they’re off to NIMH.

[ramonesfreak]

hahhah thats funny


another observation...the past few years when spring came, I vacuumed up the rat poo and saw no more trace of them all summer....and never even saw an actual rat

Whats different? Once the weather gets nice every spring, I open the garage door every morning and hang out out there when i take breaks from working. This year, the winter was very long....its stlll cold and I have not been opening the garage door or hanging out out there at all.

So, im thinking they are getting a foothold on me now.....they and myself, got too comfortable

Does a day ever go by when there isnt some bull**** to take care of?

[GG Allin]

Why won't you kill them? With a Victor Rat Trap and some peanut butter, they'll never see it coming.


You could get them neutered and spayed, that way they won't multiply.

[Geronimo '74]

Rehoming rats is like giving an allowance to a gangmember, it will not go as planned.
If you’re bent on not killing them, better make absolutely sure they have no reason to venture into your garage. Which is not easy.
If they find a food source, they will stay.

Would you be prepared to kill them when they enter your house, or do you think a stern talking to will suffice??

[rfuerst911sc]

Eliminate NOW before they take over . They have no redeeming qualities when sharing a space with your Porsche . Find out how they are coming in , seal those entrances and start with the poison baits .

If you treat them as pets/guests get ready for the invasion into your home . Now you will have to call in the pros and that is messy and $$$ .

[ramonesfreak]

Why wont I kill them? I like animals and feel very bad when I kill one. My wife hates spiders and I have to continuously stop her from smashing them so I can take them outside. I could never be a farmer.

If they move into the house, they will leave me no choice I guess.

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Eliminate NOW before they take over . They have no redeeming qualities when sharing a space with your Porsche . Find out how they are coming in , seal those entrances and start with the poison baits .

If you treat them as pets/guests get ready for the invasion into your home . Now you will have to call in the pros and that is messy and $$$ .

they get into the garage under the door because my seal has been chewed so they can get under and in -----or, they go in through the siding, or up through the cinder block foundation from underground. There is no way to prevent them from going into the garage

and, this is not just my problem. the local paper and local online concerned neighbor forum has for the last several years alerted residents to a growing rat problem in this town

so, even if i were to clear my yard of rats, this will last a day or two. The neighbors put out squirrel food and everyone has a garbage tote....

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

Why wont I kill them? I like animals and feel very bad when I kill one. My wife hates spiders and I have to continuously stop her from smashing them so I can take them outside. I could never be a farmer.

If they move into the house, they will leave me no choice I guess.

You'll have to move out?


Just kidding. I'm the same way with animals but I draw the line at rats and mice.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

Why wont I kill them? I like animals and feel very bad when I kill one.

This is me. We had rats in our chicken coop a few years ago. I tried many methods of getting rid of them in "humane" ways, but nothing worked. Nothing.

I then went to traps (had good luck with mice with those) and never caught a single one. I finally resorted to poison. I hated to do it, but it was effective and solved the problem.

I tried two different poisons, but ended using the pelletized stuff. I would wrap it in cling wrap (making little pouches of it) and they would literally almost run up and grab it from me. I had the last laugh, though.

[vash]

Originally Posted by wilnj

How about another predator that isn’t at pet? An owl maybe?

https://www.birdinformer.com/how-to-attract-owls/

I could see you giving a pass to 1 or 2 rats but if there aren’t predators, you could end up with them taking ownership of your garage. Then they’ll learn how to wrench and turn your 911 into this.



Then they’ll learn how to drive and they’re off to NIMH.

no idea for a no-kill solution, but wanted to chime and and say this might be the book that got me into reading as a kid.

maybe "the mouse and the motorcycle". same timeline for sure.

[GH85Carrera]

We have a storage building in our back yard. It has a raised floor, so there is space under it for the occasional critter. Our male dachshund, Reuben will go on full alert. His nose can follow the trail, and he will circle the storage building until we lock him out of the back yard.



He disposed of them in an all natural organic way. Dogs have eaten mice for as long as dogs have existed.

If he continues to circle the building, I bait some traps and with technology and peanut butter, I can catch more mice than the dog. They have in the past gotten into my garage. That is when the real battle begins. A mouse or rat can cause thousands of dollars in damage in a day or two to a car.

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by IROC

This is me. We had rats in our chicken coop a few years ago. I tried many methods of getting rid of them in "humane" ways, but nothing worked. Nothing.

I then went to traps (had good luck with mice with those) and never caught a single one. I finally resorted to poison. I hated to do it, but it was effective and solved the problem.

I tried two different poisons, but ended using the pelletized stuff. I would wrap it in cling wrap (making little pouches of it) and they would literally almost run up and grab it from me. I had the last laugh, though.

If I have to do this....what about my dogs and the neighborhood cats? My dogs would love to eat a dead rat. I worry about secondary poisoning

[tabs]

Why don't you just put out the place settings on the dinner table and have them over for dinner. They love and will live in fruit trees.. a Rat can get through a 1 inch square hole..

My Airedale used to hunt them in my/her backyard in S CA..she and the cat would work together.